


Running

by phantisma



Series: Running to Stay Still [5]
Category: Angel: the Series, Stargate Atlantis
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2011-08-03
Updated: 2012-08-06
Packaged: 2017-12-07 00:18:15
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 14,358
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/741883
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/phantisma/pseuds/phantisma
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Post Angel, mid season 4ish of SGA.  Ronon comes to visit, but so do the Wraith.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

There really was no easy way for this to work. If Ronon spent too much time visiting, people would get curious and start asking questions. It was bad enough that Lorne and McKay knew as much as they did. Every time Ronon went to see Lindsey was one step closer to getting found out.

And it wasn't really that he was _hiding_ his…thing…with Lindsey. It was more complicated than that.

Ronon was going to have to come clean at some point about the whole thing, but it didn't help that Lindsey had no desire to meet any more of Ronon's friends from Atlantis. In fact, he was nearly belligerent about it.

Ronon shoved his feet into his boots and stood, reaching for his bag. He didn't like lying, but if it kept Atlantis from whispering it was better for all concerned. Besides, it was only a partial lie. He was gating to Cralius first and he would trade there, visit with an old friend, before gating from there to Lindsey's place.

It meant gating back to Cralius first before coming home, but he'd done worse in the past to throw the Wraith off his trail.

Of course, he had to know it wouldn't be that easy. Sheppard joined him as he was heading for the gate room. "You're going to Cralius, right?"

Ronon nodded, adjusting his gun. "Yeah, why?"

"Thought I might come along. I should meet this Tragget you and Teyla have been trading with."

"He don't like strangers." Ronon said, though he knew that once Sheppard got it in his head he wasn't going to be thrown off easily.

"All the more reason. You introduce us, I'm not a stranger anymore."

Ronon resisted the urge to growl at him, knowing it wouldn’t do much good, but he was watching his plans for a couple of days of dirty, naked fucking waste away into a couple of days of showing Sheppard around a village that was a whole different kind of dirty.

He was even more inclined to growl when they reached the gate room and Teyla and McKay were suited up and ready to go as well. “Since when do we need a whole team to trade for a few seeds?” Ronon asked.

“I promised Dr. McKay I would introduce him to Thoma and Rell.” Teyla said in response. “To discuss the progress they have made in understanding the effects of the kroma berry.”

“Not that I expect much.” McKay added. “But we haven’t been off Atlantis for a while, and the berry might have properties we can use to—“

Ronon held up a hand to cut him off, shaking his head. “I don’t want to know.”

“Dial it up.” Sheppard called out to the control room.

A few minutes later, Ronon stalked ahead of them out of the gate. “What’s got his panties in a bunch?” Sheppard asked Teyla.

“I believe Ronon had plans beyond trade that our presence makes uncomfortable for him.” Teyla responded.

“I can hear you, you know?” Ronon growled back at them.

Sheppard jogged up beside him. “Is that right, Ronon? You sneaking off to get a little nookie?”

Ronon stopped and frowned at him. “Nookie?”

Sheppard smirked. “You got a girl stashed somewhere? You should have just said so. You should bring her by, introduce us.”

Ronon shook his head. “No. Just no.”

Teyla caught up with them, cutting between them and both Sheppard and Ronon turned to follow her. “Aw, come on. We’re not so bad.”

“No.” Ronon repeated.

“She live nearby? Maybe we can impose on her hospitality.”

“I’m not discussing this with you.” Ronon said. It didn't help that Sheppard was chuckling.

“Is she pretty? Are you afraid she’ll get one look at my pretty face and fall for me?”

Ronon stopped again. “Stop. I’m not telling you anything. It’s not that big a deal. I can reschedule.” It wasn't really like Lindsey and he had plans. The way they'd left it the last time…but it had been a month…and Ronon was fucking horny.

“You’re here, you might as well—“

“I believe Ronon’s friend lives elsewhere, Colonel Sheppard.” Teyla offered, her eyes meeting Ronon’s, then skipping to Sheppard’s. “And this was merely the first planned stop on his trip. Perhaps, if we do not need him, we could let him continue on his way without harassing him further?”

Sheppard looked surprised, but nodded. “Okay. If it means that much to you.”

Ronon stopped again, both eyebrows raised. “Really?”

“Teyla can handle the trading. Just…be back in two days, we’ve got a mission to get to.”

Ronon grinned and slapped Sheppard’s shoulder before he took off jogging back toward the gate. He’d be a little earlier than planned, but that could be a good thing. He could slip into the tavern with the early crowd, surprise Lindsey before rumors that he was in town got there first.

He dialed up the gate and waited for the wormhole, glancing over his shoulder to make sure Sheppard hadn’t snuck up behind him to check the gate address. Sheppard waved and Ronon shook his head before heading through the gate.

It was late afternoon when he arrived, which would mean Lindsey was working the tavern. Ronon made his way there, trying not to draw attention to himself. He slipped into the tavern behind two locals, sliding up to the bar while they moved to a table. Lindsey came from the back with two plates of food, whisking past Ronon without looking up.

Ronon sat on one of the stools and watched, waiting for Lindsey to feel his eyes. Lindsey looked up, grinning wickedly before he went back to dealing with customers.

He relaxed then settling in on his stool to wait until things were calm enough for Lindsey to make his way over. “Whiskey?” Lindsey asked as he moved past him, his hand briefly sliding up Ronon’s leg before it slipped away.

“Yeah, and some of that food.”

“Demanding cuss, ain’t ya?” Lindsey asked, smirking. He poured whiskey into a glass and put it on the bar.

“Ain’t I always?” Ronon replied with an answering smirk of his own.

Lindsey raised an eyebrow at him and pushed away, headed into the back. He came back a few minutes later with a plate of food that he put in front of Ronon. “Just as long as I get to be pushy.”

“Ain’t **you** always?” Ronon chuckled as Lindsey moved away, checking in with customers and refilling empty glasses. It was comfortable. Maybe more than Ronon had ever expected a relationship like this to be. If that’s what this was.

“Wasn’t expecting you for another week or so.” Lindsey said the next time he came back to the bar.

“You weren't expecting me at all.” Ronon pushed his plate away and raised his glass.

Lindsey waited for him to lower the glass, then topped it off again. "You may not be aware of it, Ronon, but you've got a pattern."

"I do?" Ronon asked, lifting the glass again.

Lindsey looked around them, checking on patrons, then came back to Ronon. "You show up, we fool around, you posture and Atlantis calls you back because they can't live without you. I don't hear from you for a few weeks, then I get a message from someone passing through that says you're thinking about stopping by. Three weeks after that, sometimes four, you show up. I was figuring four."

Ronon smirked and finished the whiskey. "Well, now I'll have to change it up."

Lindsey smirked at him. "You do that. How long you got?”

“Two days.”

Lindsey’s grin was wicked. “I’ll have to see if Broi can cover the tavern.”

Over the din of the crowd, Ronon heard a familiar low whine, just before the door of the tavern burst open. “Wraith!” The young man was frantic. “Wraith, they’re here!”

“Wraith?” Lindsey frowned at Ronon, while the others started to scatter frantically. “I was told they haven’t been here in years.”

“Yeah, well…obviously they’re back.” Ronon said, grabbing for him.

An explosion rocked the ground and he could hear people screaming. “Make for the caves!” Ronon yelled at the people running out of the tavern.

Lindsey darted out the door, Ronon behind him, but he was going the wrong way. “Where are you going?”

“Make sure Ellie and the kids got out.” He pointed at the smoldering ruins of a building.

Ronon caught the back of his shirt and pulled him back. “I’m sure they’re fine….but look…” He pointed at the Wraith already stalking through the ruins at the far end of town. He heard the whine of one of their darts and pulled Lindsey up close, spinning them out of the way of its beam. “You’ve never dealt with them. I have. Come on.”

He pulled on Lindsey who was still fighting until they were around the corner of the tavern. Smoke was curling in the air, the flames of a nearby fire licking closer. “You can’t help anyone if you’re dead.” Ronon growled in his ear

He inched them along the wall, trying to watch for darts as well as Wraith on the ground. This was not good. They had too much open space between them and the tree line. And it was already starting to get quiet.

They were going to have to run. He turned to tell Lindsey, but before he could form the words, he felt the stunner. They went down together, Lindsey’s shocked face the last thing Ronon saw before blacking out.

 

 

He woke with a groan, rolling onto his back with the knowledge that they were prisoners. Lindsey was beside him, not yet coming around. Ronon sat up, eyes scanning the entirely too familiar confines of a Wraith cell.

He had predictably been stripped of anything helpful. In fact, he had been stripped down to just his pants and boots. So had Lindsey. That did not bode well.

Beside him Lindsey groaned and Ronon turned to him. "Easy."

Lindsey rubbed his head as his eyes opened. "What the hell?"

"Wraith stunner. Go slow. The first time's the hardest."

"Where are we?"

"I'm going to assume we're on a hive ship." Ronon stood, moving to the front of the cell to peer out into the hall. "Which can not be good." At least Teyla knew where he had gone, which meant that when he didn't come back on time, they would come looking…but seeing as that wouldn't be for at least two days it wasn't going to do them any good.

By then they could be anywhere.

Lindsey was getting up, and Ronon could see their captors coming for them. He stepped back beside Lindsey, ready to fight, but it was easy to see that a fight wasn't going to be reasonable. There were too many of them.

The leader stopped and opened the cell and six of his warriors came for them, dragging them both out of the cell and down the hall.

They were forced into a room where a Queen sat and pushed to their knees as she rose from her throne, descending the two steps to stand in front of them. Ronon stiffened as her hand neared him, but she just caressed his face almost lovingly.

"I am told you were once a runner."

"Fuck you." Ronon responded.

She fisted her hand in his dreads and shoved his face down, her finger tracking the scar where Beckett had removed the tracking device. "Ah, yes. Good. Then you know how this works."

She released him and went back to her throne. "You will both be fitted with devices and released to run. We will hunt you." She smiled. "When we catch you, you will be punished and then released again."

Ronon struggled against the hands holding him. "You want me to cooperate, let him go. You don't need two of us."

"I don't need you to protect me." Lindsey said, looking at him.

"You don't know what they can do to you." Ronon replied.

The queen just smiled at them. "You are in no position to make demands of me. I will have you both. Take them."

They were pulled to their feet and shoved back out of the room and down another series of halls. Ronon struggled more as they were pushed into a medical lab, and shoved down on their stomachs side by side on tables. They were locked down and Ronon couldn't stop his yelling as they cut into him, more out of anger than pain.

"You will find these new tracking devices are most clever." It was the queen's voice, though Ronon hadn't realized she had followed them into the room. "They will turn themselves off for exactly 3 hours every time you are found or pass through a gate…but they will leave a mark on any gate through which you pass."

Lindsey was yelling too now, fighting against the restraints. "When you wake you will be on a planet, beside a Stargate. You must run together. Or die."

He felt something being inserted into his body, felt it wriggle inside him. Then almost as if being stunned, he was out.

 

 

 

"Son of a bitch!"

Ronon woke to Lindsey's cursing and sat up slowly. His head hurt, and he could feel the place where the device had been inserted. Lindsey was trying to feel for it.

"You won't get it out without help." Ronon said, standing to get a look around them. "And we can't stay here long." They were still missing their shirts and now their shoes were gone too.

"At least they could have given us back our fucking clothes."

Ronon snorted. "What, and make it easy on us?" He had an idea where they might be, and that gave him a few ideas where to go. "We need to move, you good?"

"No, I am not good." Lindsey said. "I'm being hunted."

Ronon clapped him on the shoulder. "We're being hunted…and we're together, which is a step up from the last time I did this. And…we have Atlantis, which I also didn't have before."

"They can get these…things out?"

Ronon shrugged a little. "They did before. But we can't go there directly. The devices tags the gates and they can track us. But we can get a message through and bring them to us." He moved to the dialing device. "But first to put a few gates between us and them."

"That bitch said the gates turn the tracker off?"

"Yeah, gives us a head start, for whatever it's worth." Ronon dialed a planet he knew was relatively safe. "Just stick close and follow my lead. These people aren't the friendliest, but they can help us get a message through. They might even loan us some clothes."

They went through the gate and Ronon wasted little time heading for the village. "We've got three hours before these things turn back on. We need to be out of here before then."

"So, you know these people?" Lindsey asked as they neared the village gate.

"Traded here a few times." Ronon raised a hand in greeting as the gatekeeper stood. "Hello Travin."

"Ronon, it has been much time."

"Yes, it has."

"Are you well?"

"I've been better. Look, Travin, my friend and I need to see Salon."

Travin nodded slowly. "Yes, I can see you would. Go on through."

He opened the gate and Ronon led Lindsey into the village that Ronon knew was a lot more advanced than it looked. He cursed as bare feet met the rocky roadway. "There."

He opened the door to the town hall, not surprised that Salon already knew they were coming. The older man was sweeping toward them, a false smile on his face. "Ah, our good friend Ronon…look at you…where on Kata are your clothes and shoes?"

"Long story." Ronon responded. "We're just here to get a message to my people. Can you do that for us?"

"Of course, of course. Come into my office." He opened a door and led them inside.

"Wow." Lindsey said as he got a look at the space inside where gleaming glass shelves held technology that belied the state of the village outside.

Ronon poked him and Lindsey shrugged at him. "What? It surprised me."

"It is the way we protect ourselves from outsiders and the Wraith." Salon said, his expression sour.

"Yeah, about that…" Ronon sighed. "When we leave, you need to button up. There will be a few hunters behind us."

The sour expression turned dark. "You bring Wraith to us?"

"Not on purpose. Look, they grabbed us on Lindsey's home world and tagged us with their damn devices. I need to get a message through to my team."

Salon frowned at him for a long moment, then opened a drawer in his desk. He pulled out a radio and handed it across to Ronon. "Take it with you. Mirie is bringing your shirts. I'm not sure we can help you with shoes. Take it all and do not return."

Ronon took the radio and nodded. "Thank you Salon."

"Go."

They emerged from the office and Mirie thrust a pile of cloth at them. Lindsey took the shirts and they headed out of the building. "Nice people." Lindsey muttered.

"They're just protecting themselves the only way they know how." Ronon responded. At the village gate, Ronon said goodbye to Travin and they set out for the gate. Lindsey handed him one of the shirts and Ronon made a face. “Better than nothing I guess.”

“So what’s the plan?”

Ronon huffed and pulled the shirt on, not surprised when it was ridiculously tight. “We’ll dial Atlantis and try to set up a meet.” He looked up at the sky, trying to estimate how long the whole thing had taken them. Lindsey was shrugging his shirt on as Ronon dialed, thinking they probably had two hours before the devices started pinging. Still, he knew from experience that once the device started sending it's signal they only had minutes before the gate opened and Wraith came through.

The gate came to life and Ronon lifted the radio, grateful that Salon had kept it, even if at the time they had all been a little pissed. “Atlantis, this is Ronon. Come in.”

“It’s about damn time.”

Sheppard. “We must have been on the Wraith ship longer than I thought.” Ronon said aside to Lindsey. “Long story. Don’t have time to get into it.”

“Where are you?”

“Doesn't matter. We can’t stay here. Meet us on P3M-465 in an hour. Bring me a change of clothes and a pair of boots. And, ah…the same for my friend. He’s about your size.”

“Are you going to explain?”

“When you get there. Bring McKay and Beckett.”

“Are you injured?”

“Not exactly. Look, we can’t keep talking. Our time is short.”

“P3M-465 in an hour. Sheppard out.”

“He sounds pissed.” Lindsey said.

“He’ll get over it.” Ronon responded, already re-dialing the gate. “We’ll make a few stops before we head there, keep the Wraith working on tracking the gates, rather than us.” He waited for the gate to engage, then headed for it, grabbing Lindsey’s arm when he didn’t immediately follow.

“You’ve done this before.”

Ronon chuckled and shoved Lindsey through the gate. “You might say that.” He looked around on the other side. “I hate this place. But, there are no locals to shoot at us and plenty of hiding places. Good to know about if you’ve got them on your tail and can’t shake them. I probably still have booby traps here.”

He led the way away from the gate and into the damp brush of the forest. “There are some caves not to far from here. We shouldn’t be right by the gate, just in case.”

“How long ago were you here?” Lindsey asked, following Ronon.

“A few years now.” Ronon responded, scanning the trees. “I spent almost six months here.” The forest was ancient and thick, the ground wet and spotted with sink holes. At night it was seriously cold and by day so humid he would sweat just sitting.

He came around a massive tree and found the caves right where he remembered them. "Thought you wanted to gate jump." Lindsey said as Ronon started to climb up to one he knew was big enough for both of them.

"I do." Ronon smirked at him. "But I've been thinking about fucking you into a wall since I walked into your tavern."

Lindsey didn't respond, just shoved him toward the entrance of the cave, obviously on board with that idea. Ronon chuckled as he ducked his head to get into the cave, letting his eyes adjust and scanning the interior to make sure nothing had nested in it.

Lindsey crowded in behind him, hands already grabbing at Ronon's hips. Ronon turned, pulling him in before shoving him toward the wall of the cave. Lindsey grunted as his back found the stone, but it didn't keep him from reaching for Ronon's pants, fumbling with the laces to get them open.

Ronon pulled his hands away and pressed them to the stone wall, covering Lindsey's mouth with his own, licking around his lips before pushing inside. It probably wasn't wise, but he knew they had some time to kill, and of all the places he could think of to spend it before gate hopping, this was the safest for dealing with the ache in his cock.

The wildlife here was vicious, but stayed away from the gate and they were far enough away from the gate that they would have a head start if company came, but not so far that they would attract predators…and he wasn't lying about the fact that all he could think about was pushing Lindsey into the nearest wall.

Ronon pulled on Lindsey's pants, getting them down far enough to get his cock out, snickering when it began hardening almost immediately. Ronon nipped at Lindsey's lips, then slid down to one knee to take Lindsey's cock into his mouth.

It filled and hardened as he sucked up the length, then turned his head to suck at his balls. His fingers circled the shaft and stroked lightly as he pulled one, then the other into his mouth and Lindsey tried to spread his legs.

His pants made it hard to do and he growled a little in frustration. The growl changed tone when Ronon took his cock into his mouth again. He sucked up and off again, pulling back to look up at Lindsey.

"Quit your teasing." He grabbed Ronon's dreads and pulled him back toward his cock. "We don’t have all day."

Ronon grinned, but obliged him, working up and down his cock quickly, his tongue cupped to the underside…then sucking hard on just the head before sliding down him again. Lindsey's hand tightened and Ronon pulled back, catching Lindsey's come on his tongue and standing, his mouth open, shoving his come coated tongue into Lindsey's mouth.

Lindsey's hands found his waistband and fumbled enough to actually get inside. He pushed off the wall and turned them, pushing Ronon against it and growling into his mouth. He dropped to a knee to finish freeing Ronon's cock, licking over the tip with a smirk.

"This isn't fucking you against a wall." Ronon said, looking down at him.

"You are not coming at me with this thing without lube." Lindsey countered, grabbing Ronon's cock and pulling on it. Ronon gasped with the intensity, dry hand on dry skin, his hands making fists as Lindsey laughed. "Like that?"

He did it again and Ronon thrust forward, succeeding in pressing the tip of his cock against Lindsey's lips. "Better get with the making it feel good before I decide to help you out."

Lindsey kept his hand on Ronon's dick, but licked at the tip, little licks working over the whole head, under it, down to his hand and back. "Better?"

Ronon responded with thrusting forward again, almost making Lindsey fall backward. "Pushy." But Lindsey's hand fell away and he opened his mouth to take Ronon in, sucking and pulling off, each time taking Ronon a little deeper, until Lindsey was fighting not to gag, and sucking all the way off again.

His lips were red and swollen, his eyes sparkling in the demi-dark of the cave. Ronon wanted to taste him, wanted to shove inside of those lips and come. Lindsey licked down the side of his cock, nuzzled his whiskered face against Ronon's thigh…his hand taking over the stroking of his spit slicked cock.

Ronon's hand found Lindsey's head, fingers running through his hair and tugging him back. "Want to come." Ronon growled.

"Pushy." Lindsey responded, though he sucked Ronon in obediently enough.

It wasn't going to take much, with Lindsey humming and sucking and Ronon bit off the yell as he came. Lindsey repeated Ronon's gesture, sliding up Ronon's body with come on his tongue, sharing the taste in a bruising kiss.

They were both breathing a little heavy as they separated and tucked themselves in. "When this is over, I am going to find a big bottle of lube and fuck you until you can't sit." Ronon growled into Lindsey's ear as they started back to the gate.

"Promises." Lindsey said, grinning.

"Promises I keep." Ronon responded. "Okay, we've got about a half hour. I'm going to take us through three different gates to get there."

"Lead on."

Ronon dialed and they headed through together. "Shit. I forgot it would be winter here." Ronon said as they stepped out into a squall of snow. They ran to the dialing device and got the gate open, running from the snow into a cool autumn afternoon.

"That's better. Where are we?" Lindsey asked.

Ronon looked around them, knowing that the beautiful landscape held a deadly secret. "No place good." He was already dialing. "Lot of people died here."

It was another planet he had hidden on for a while. A place decimated by the Wraith and a civil war. All that remained was ruins hidden by the heavy growth of the forest and a few pockets of people living in caves and trees far away from the gate.

They left that place for another, a planet rich in animal life, a popular place for hunters from places lacking in sustainable food sources. They stepped out and stopped short, coming face to face with one such hunting party.

"Ronon Dex?"

Ronon grinned and nodded, letting himself be pulled into a hug. "Devlin, good to see you." He looked at the rest of his team, and the obvious signs of a good hunt. "That meat should see you through a while."

"Indeed. And with a child on the way, Marten is craving meat."

"Congratulations. Don't let us keep you." He gestured at the dialing device.

"You must come and visit us."

"Soon, I promise. I'll send word."

Ronon exhaled and watched them leave, shaking his head.

"Friend of yours?"

"You might say. Helped me out a few years back. I helped them out last year. Good people." The gate closed and Ronon went to the device. "Okay, last one. Sheppard and McKay will be there, plus their doctor, Beckett. He's the one that got the tracking device out of me before."

"What are we waiting for?"

Ronon lifted his hand to press the button, then looked at Lindsey. "They don't know…about…this." He gestured between them. "I'd rather they didn't…for now."

Lindsey's grin was wicked. "Oh, I'm your dirty little secret?"

"Something like that."

"Don't worry, Ronon. I'm not a big fan of…those people either. I'm not going to be saying much."

Ronon dialed and they approached the gate together.

Sheppard and the others were already on the planet waiting for them when they emerged. Ronon held up his hands to cut off the questions he could already see forming. "Long story short, Wraith attacked, grabbed the two of us, put trackers in us and set us running."

"Oh." Sheppard responded, his eyes flicking to Lindsey. "And this is?"

"My friend Lindsey. He owns the tavern on P3M-013."

Sheppard raised an eyebrow at him. "Where you were….visiting?"

"Colonel Sheppard, the area is secure." Teyla said as she joined them. She smiled and inclined her head to Lindsey. "Hello Lindsey."

"Teyla." Lindsey offered her a smile, though he flicked his eyes back to Sheppard almost immediately.

"So, we pull these trackers out and we're good?" Sheppard asked.

Ronon shrugged. "Hope so." The memory of the queen's words came back to him. "But…I think they've changed them. The queen said something about us having to run together. They might be linked somehow. We haven't tested it."

Honestly, he hadn't thought about it again until just now. "And, we only have a three hour window before they start transmitting our location."

"Let's get started then." Beckett said, lifting a medical scanner from his bag. "Come, sit here." He pointed to the rocks that ringed the gate area. Ronon tugged his borrowed shirt off and went to sit. Beckett's fingers probed the place where the tracker had gone in. "Hmm…yes…Rodney?"

McKay rolled his eyes, but came closer with his tablet, scowling at the doctor as he leaned over Ronon's back.

"You…um…." Rodney snapped his fingers. "Lindsey….go over there." He pointed away from the gate.

"What?"

"Just do it."

Lindsey shrugged and moved away. "See that?" Rodney asked. "A little more."

"Doc?" Ronon could feel his chest tighten, breathing suddenly became difficult. Lindsey's steps faltered and he turned back.

"That's not good." McKay frowned at his computer

"What is it?" Sheppard asked while Teyla went to help Lindsey back.

"The devices are linked. Proximity is required or they send out a signal that will eventually shut down their systems." Rodney said.

"But can you take them out?" Sheppard asked.

Beckett sighed. "I can try. It seems similar enough to the old one, but I'd be more comfortable doing this in an operating room."

"Can't risk it." Ronon said. "The devices leave a signature on the Stargates. We'd be advertising Atlantis' position."

"All right, here is as good as anywhere then. Shall I start with you?"

"Go for it, Doc." Ronon replied, cracking his neck.

Lindsey came to sit on a nearby rock, watching intently. Ronon managed a smile for him before Beckett was positioning him with his head down, and wiping over his back with something cold and wet.

He steeled himself for the incision, hissing when it came. He spared a glance through his dreads for Lindsey, before closing his eyes against the pain. "Okay now, hold still as you can."

"Done this before Doc, just get it out." Ronon said.

"Carson, stop." Rodney said suddenly a few minutes later.

"Why, I can see where the—"

"Just stop and look." Rodney said.

Ronon opened his eyes. Lindsey was doubled over. "As soon as you started cutting, Lindsey's heart rate sped up, when you touched it, he went into distress."

He felt the doctor's hands leave him and in a few seconds, Lindsey was breathing better and lifting his head. "So more than just a proximity sensor." Carson said.

"So it would seem." Rodney responded.

"What does it mean?" Sheppard asked.

"I'm not entirely sure." Rodney answered. "I need to run some tests, see what we're up against."

"How long?"

"Honestly I don't know." McKay was staring at his computer, poking at the screen and shaking his head. “Give me a few hours to analyze this.”

“We don’t have a few hours.” Lindsey said. “Those bastards are going to come looking.”

“We’ll be fine.” Ronon countered. “I’ve done this before.” He shrugged away from Carson’s hands and stood. “You bring the clothes I asked for?”

Sheppard nodded and tossed a duffle to him. Ronon passed the duffle bag off to Lindsey. “We’re going to need a few supplies.”

“I will get you what you need.” Teyla said, shouldering her weapon. “I will return within the hour.”

“McKay, you need anything else from them to figure this out?” Sheppard asked.

Rodney shook his head. “I just need to---“

“Head back with Teyla, Doc, you too. I’ll wait here and strategize while we wait.”

“You should go too. We’ll be fine.” Ronon said, watching Lindsey pull clothes from the duffle.

“Can I talk to you?”

Ronon rolled his eyes, but nodded, stepping away from Lindsey enough that they wouldn’t be heard. “Yes, I trust him.” Ronon said preemptively.

“All right, but what do you know about him?” There was clear concern on his face, in his eyes. Sheppard glanced at Lindsey and then back at Ronon. "How long have you known him? What do you know about him?"

Ronon leaned in a little closer. “He’s a friend. That’s enough.”

Sheppard frowned and looked around Ronon. “He seems…like trouble.”

Ronon couldn’t argue with that. It seemed every time they tried to get together something came up. At least this time neither of them was injured, though judging from history, that would change. "We'll be fine." Ronon said.

“I take it these are yours?” Lindsey asked, holding up some clothes.

“Sorry, all I had in your size was fatigues.” Sheppard offered, stepping around Ronon.

Lindsey scowled, but shook his head. “Anything is better than this damn wool thing. It’s hot and it itches.”

“So what’s the plan?” Sheppard asked as Lindsey pull the tunic off.

Ronon pulled his eyes away and sighed. “We run. I know a handful of planets that are safe enough.”

“I want you to keep in touch. I mean it.”

“Yes, I’ll keep in touch.” Ronon found his eyes wandering back to the gate, willing Teyla to come back so they could get moving.

“As soon as McKay has the devices figured, we’ll come get them out of you both.”

Ronon sighed and shook his head. “Well, make it fast. We’re going to burn out quick if we don’t get sleep.” Three hour lead times wasn't a lot and they were going to need to take turns sleeping and keeping guard.

He turned away to change out of his borrowed clothes and was just sitting to shove his feet into boots when the gate came to life.

Teyla came through with a backpack. She brought it to Ronon and set it beside him. “There is food and water for a few days, a thermal blanket and your weapon.”

“Thanks.” Ronon finished lacing the boots and looked up at Sheppard. “We’ll be fine.”

“Yeah. Right.” Sheppard pulled his hand gun and looked at it, then at Lindsey. “You know how to use something like this?”

Lindsey raised an eyebrow, the look on his face something between amused and annoyed. He took the gun, dropped the magazine to check it, shoved it back in and adjusted the slide. “I’ve seen one or two.”

“Smart ass. I see why you like him.” Sheppard said to Ronon. He gestured at Teyla to dial the gate. “I want to hear from you at least every six hours.”

“Fine. Go.”

In a few minutes, he was alone with Lindsey again. He sat on the rock and picked up the bag Teyla had brought them. He handed Lindsey an energy bar and a canteen. “Go easy on the water. Our next two stops won’t have much near the gate.”

“So, you going to tell me?” Lindsey asked as he opened the energy bar.

“Tell you what?” Ronon asked in return as he investigated what else was in the pack.

"About this running thing?"

"Wasn't planning on it." Ronon grinned as his hand encountered something at the bottom of the bag. Teyla apparently knew him better than he thought. "But get your boots on. We gotta move."

"We got time." Lindsey responded, looking up from tying his boots.

Ronon held up the bottle of lube with a grin. "Yeah, but the sooner we get to another planet, the sooner I can get to that fucking I promised you."

Lindsey's smiled slowly. "Teyla?"

Ronon nodded. "Teyla."

"Remind me to thank her the next time I see her."


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ronon and Lindsey are running, until they find Sanctuary.

"Time to move." Lindsey's voice was low, in his ear and Ronon was instantly awake, despite the fact that he'd only been asleep for two hours or so.

He groaned as he pushed himself up off the cold ground. He was exhausted. Three days of running, with little sleep and little to eat and having to move every three hours to keep ahead of the Wraith was wearing him down.

One glance at Lindsey told him he felt the same. His skin was pale, his eyes dark and shadowed. 

Ronon cracked his neck and stretched out his back. "How much time?"

Lindsey shook his head. "Less then a half hour."

"Cutting it close."

"You needed the sleep." 

They started for the gate. "Where we going this time?"

Ronon honestly wasn't sure. "We could double back to P3X-451."

Lindsey made a face. "It's cold there."

Ronon grinned. "Oh, I know how to keep you warm."

They stopped in the tree line near the gate, checking the area. It seemed clear. The local inhabitants lived miles from the gate, hidden in underground cities. They stayed clear of the gate, it was forbidden. 

Ronon jogged to the gate, dialing quickly. Lindsey was right beside him as the gate came to life and they emerged on the other side in the middle of a snow storm.

"Shit." Lindsey rubbed his hands over his arms. "Seriously?"

"Okay, just hang on." Ronon dialed again, picking an address from memory. He shoved Lindsey toward the gate and followed, into a bright afternoon that felt like spring. "Better?"

"Um, I thought we were staying away from populated planets." Lindsey said, pointing.

Ronon pulled his dreads out of his face and followed his finger. Just past the hill that held the Stargate, he could see roof tops and smoke from fires curling into the pale blue sky.

"Shit." Ronon knew that even if they left right away, the village would be seen by any hunters following them, and reported back to a hive for culling. "They weren't here the last time I was." Granted, that had been at least five years.

"What do we do?"

Ronon sighed. "Well, we at least have to warn them."

"You think that's wise?" Lindsey asked.

"You'd rather leave them to get culled?" Ronon asked, turning back to the dialing device. He pulled out his radio and punched in Atlantis' address. "We're a little late on our check in."

When the gate came to life, Ronon lifted the radio. "Atlantis, this is Ronon."

"About time." Sheppard's voice came back to him. "Where are you?"

"Not sure you have a designation for this one." Ronon responded. "It's a place I'd been before. Things have changed here though. There's a village now."

"Don't stay too long then."

"Any progress?"

"Some. Beckett has an idea. He and Rodney are working on it."

"Work faster, this is going to get one or both of us dead." Ronon glanced aside when he spotted movement, gesturing at Lindsey. "Sheppard, I'll be in touch. I have to go." He put the radio back in his backpack, turning to the spot where he'd seen something moving.

Three men crested the hill and stood looking at them. "Greetings, travelers."

Lindsey moved closer warily, glancing at Ronon. "Hello yourselves."

"You are welcome here."

"You might not say that when we tell you that we're being hunted by Wraith." Ronon said.

The one who seemed to be the leader smiled at him. "It changes nothing. You look weary. Please, come to the village and let us offer you the comfort of a good meal and a bed."

"We only have three hours before they'll know where we are." Lindsey said.

"You will be safe here. Within the confines of the village's boundaries you will not be detected." The second speaker was younger, stepping away from the first with some device in his hand. "Your tracking devices will not work inside the boundary."

Ronon raised an eyebrow, skeptical. "How?"

He smiled and moved toward the gate. "I will deal with the gate."

"Come. Before you fall down here."

They turned to leave and Ronon shrugged. If they were telling the truth, then at the very least they could sleep and eat without looking over their shoulders. He and Lindsey followed down the hill.

"I am Ulvin, and this is my brother Misan."

"I'm Ronon, this is Lindsey." Ronon offered. "You know, I've been here before. You weren't here then."

Ulvin nodded. "We came to this planet three cycles ago. We wanted a place that we could be free of the Wraith and the other enemies that had plagued our people. Since coming here, we have been joined by others, like you."

"Other runners?" Ronon asked.

"Yes, three so far. Please, watch your step, this is the boundary. You might feel some discomfort as your devices are switched off."

Lindsey hesitated, his hand on Ronon's arm. "What do we have to lose?" Ronon asked softly.

He stepped through the invisible boundary. Pain lanced through him from the device, his body going rigid. He was vaguely aware of Lindsey's similar reaction before everything tilted sideways and he passed out.

 

Everything hurt. His entire body, every muscle, every strand of hair. He groaned, dreading opening his eyes, knowing somehow that it would hurt even worse. It was like every hangover he'd ever had come back with a vengeance.

He tried to remember why it would hurt so bad, got as far as Lindsey waking him up and Ronon sat up, suddenly realizing they should be running.

"Easy." A female voice beside him. Ronon's head felt like it was going to explode as he turned to look at her. "Your friend still sleeps." She nodded toward the other bed where Lindsey was out cold. "You are safe. I have brought you food and water, and something for the pain."

She set the tray on the bed he was now sitting on. "It is dreadful, but it will not last. Once you have eaten, you should sleep more. When you wake, the pain will have eased." She handed him a glass of water from the tray.

He took it and sipped it experimentally. It was just clean water. "Thank you."

"I am Ralla. I was once a runner also. These people took me in."

"It's dangerous." Ronon said, turning to take the bread off the tray. 

"Here." She handed him two pills. "Take these before you eat."

Ronon swallowed them down, figuring that if these people had wanted him dead, they'd had ample time to do it, and the pain really was intense.

"I won't tell you I know how the boundary works, I only know that as long as I have stayed inside it, the Wraith have not come."

"How long was I out?"

"Nearly six hours." She turned when Lindsey groaned in the bed across from his. "There is plenty for you both, and here, for his pain." She gave Ronon two more of the pills. "I will return when you have both slept."

Ronon ripped the bread in half and bit off a chunk. Lindsey covered his face and groaned again. "Hurts, don't it." Ronon said.

Lindsey moved his hands and squinted at him. "What the fuck happened?"

Ronon shrugged. "Don't know. We've got food and something for the headache."

Lindsey sat up slowly, still squinting. "How long?"

"Six hours, if the girl who brought this is to be believed."

"And no Wraith?"

"Nope." He handed Lindsey across the water and the pills. "She says they'll help."

"And we trust her because?"

"They haven't killed us." Ronon offered, following the pills with a hunk of bread. "And they're feeding us."

There was some kind of cheese and some fruit on the tray. Ronon moved so he was sitting with his back against the wall and picked up what looked like grapes. 

"You okay?"

Lindsey mimicked his position and sipped at the water. "I hurt from head to toe, I'm being hunted by monsters, and we haven't had time to do more than catch cat naps at every stop for the last few days, so I'm horny as fuck."

Ronon chuckled. "I guess that means you're good."

"You think this place is really protected from the Wraith?"

"I think it's not as simple as that. But, for the moment, I say we enjoy it while we can." He was starting to feel the effects of the pills, the pain in his head was receding and his arms weren't as heavy. "We eat, get some more sleep…and when I feel better, I'll see what I can do about that personal problem of yours."

"If I didn't hurt so much, I'd be fucking you into that mattress right now." Lindsey said. 

Ronon broke the cheese into pieces and tossed one to Lindsey. "You're going to need your strength."

Lindsey laughed. It was a good sound, one Ronon hadn't heard in a while. They ate in silence for a while, until most of the food was gone. It beat the protein bars Teyla had packed for them.

He really needed to contact Atlantis, if it had been six hours, but the drugs were making him lethargic. He moved the tray to the floor, laying down. A few more hours of sleep would be good. Then he could deal with Atlantis. Sheppard would be pissed, but he'd deal with it.

 

"Hey."

Ronon opened one eye as Lindsey poked his arm. "Hey, what?"

Lindsey pointed at the door where Ralla was standing. "I have prepared a bath for you, and there will be dinner in a short while."

"Oh." Ronon sat up, surprised to find he felt almost normal. He stood, following Lindsey to the door. Ralla led them down a hall and into a room with two large wooden tubs filled with steaming water.

"There are fresh towels and clean clothes. We will get your own cleaned and have them back to you in the morning."

Once she had withdrawn from the room, Lindsey made sure the door was shut. "So about that fucking you promised me."

Ronon grabbed his shirt and pulled him in close. "What about it?"

"I was thinking, we should get on that…before we have to run again."

Ronon kissed him hard, his mouth surging between open lips, teeth nipping at his tongue. "You've got too many clothes on for that."

"So do you." Lindsey countered, pushing him away.

They both started pulling at clothing until they were naked and charging back at one another in a clash of skin and hands and lips. Ronon got a hand on Lindsey's cock, pulling on it and feeling it harden in his hands. "So easy," he teased.

"So horny." Lindsey countered.

The lube Teyla had put in his backpack was back in the room. Ronon looked around for some substitute, and finding a lotion on the table between the tubs. He reached for it, already slicking his dick as Lindsey turned, grabbing the lip of one of the tubs and spreading his feet out.

Ronon moved in behind him, rubbing his lotion slicked hand up his crack to his hole and easing one finger in. Lindsey hissed and shifted his feet. "Get on with it."

"Now who's being pushy?" Ronon asked, getting a second finger in. "Wouldn't want to hurt you."

Lindsey pushed his ass back at him. "I'll let you know when you do."

Ronon took the hint and pulled his fingers out, even though he knew it was going to burn and hurt all the way in with so little prep. Lindsey hissed again as Ronon guided his cock to Lindsey's hole. He pushed in and Lindsey tightened up for a second, then exhaled and nodded, his ass relaxing.

Ronon grabbed his hips and shoved in hard and fast, making Lindsey gasp and hit the side of the tub with one hand. His first movements were small, barely thrusts, letting Lindsey adjust around him. When Lindsey's hips started moving in time to his rhythm, Ronon pulled out a little and pushed back in.

It had been a while since they'd managed to get off, and that was just a mutual hand job hiding in a tree in a swamp. Ronon wasn't going to make this last as long as he wanted to. He slowed to long strokes, earning a grunt from Lindsey with each one. Even slow though, he was already on the edge and Lindsey's ass clenching around him took the last of his control.

He started to come, pulling Lindsey back onto him as his cock spilled. He stepped back when he was done, leaning on the other tub to catch his breath. Lindsey turned, one hand cradling his hard red cock.

"That looks painful." Ronon said with a grin. Before Lindsey could respond, Ronon dropped to one knee and sucked Lindsey's cock into his mouth, one hand lifting to pull Lindsey's hand away. He worked over it quickly, sucking up and sinking down until he felt Lindsey grab his head to warn him.

He caught all of Lindsey's come on his tongue before sliding up his body and sharing the come, their tongues tangling as their mouths came together. 

"You're a dirty fuck." Lindsey said when Ronon had finally ended the kiss.

"Good thing there's a tub of hot water then." Ronon countered, turning away. He sank into the water. Lindsey did the same in the other tub, groaning as the water enveloped him. 

"I haven't had a good bath in far too long."

"Enjoy it, may be a while before another."

 

They soaked until the water was chilling, then got out and dressed in the local clothes Ralla had left for them. Ronon was pleased to find they fit well and were easy to move in. 

Ralla was waiting for them when they opened the door. She smiled. "Dinner is ready." She led them back up the hall, passed the door to the bedroom, and out into a common area. A large table dominated the room, set with a feast and surrounded by men and women, two spaces left in the center for them.

Ulvin stood and gestured to the empty chairs. "Come, eat."

Ronon sat, taking a tray of meat that was handed to him and putting some onto his plate. "We want to thank you for the hospitality."

Ulvin smiled. "All are welcome here. We are glad to be able to offer you Sanctuary."

"So, you don't get any Wraith?" Ronon asked, taking a basket of bread and passing it to Lindsey after taking a piece.

"They have come from time to time, but the gate detects their biological signatures and triggers our0.defenses. The boundary protects us."

"They can not see the village," one of the others explained. "The boundary creates an illusion to the Wraith sensors and eyes. As long as we remain inside the boundary, we are undetectable."

"Wow. That's pretty amazing." Lindsey said, glancing at Ronon. "First I've heard of such technology."

Ulvin nodded. "It is unique to this world. We worked with natural properties of the rocks around us to create it."

"And the trackers? How does that work?" Ronon asked.

"It is also Wraith technology, is it not?" 

He had the feeling he wasn't going to get any further information from them than that, so he switched tactics. "I have friends that I need to get a message to."

"You can not leave the village." Ralla said, her eyes wide.

"Ralla, calm yourself." Ulvin chastised. 

"What does she mean we can't leave?" Lindsey asked, instantly defensive. "Are we prisoners?"

"It is not that you are prisoners, Lindsey." Ulvin placated. "If you leave the village, your tracking device will be reactivated and the Wraith will be able to find you."

"So we're stuck here?" Lindsey was clearly not comfortable with that idea.

"You are safe here." Ralla countered. "No more running."

"Just hiding." Ronon said. "No offense, but that's not my style."

"I'm afraid we must insist." Ulvin responded. "You are most welcome here, for as long as necessary."

"Our friends are looking for us." Ronon said. "They're working on a way to remove the tracking devices."

"There is no way." Ralla said, her hand snaking up to the back of her neck. "Even here, when the doctor tried, it nearly killed Kasha, my running mate." Her hand fell on the arm of the woman beside her. "We must simply reside here, where we are safe."

"I'm not quite ready to just give up." Ronon said. "So, if I can't leave the village, can I get one of you to take a message to the gate?"

Ulvin nodded. "I can send your message tomorrow."

"Good." Ronon turned his attention to the food in front of him, his mind running over what to say to Sheppard. It would need to be short, and prove to Atlantis that he was actually sending the message.

 

"You okay with this?" Lindsey asked as Ronon finished writing his message the next morning.

"No. But I'd rather have McKay here to tell me how this technology works before I go running off. Remember the blinding headache, the two days of sleeping?"

Lindsey made a face. "I remember."

"So, we let Ulvin take the message. We stay here where we can fuck all we want while we wait for Sheppard."

He looked down at the note and nodded. "Ulvin's waiting."

They met Ulvin in the village square, handing him the note and Ronon's radio. "Dial this address. When the gate opens, press this button and talk. Say the first line and release the button. They'll respond. Give them this code when they ask you to prove I sent you. Then tell them this line here."

Ulvin nodded. "I press this button to talk, and release to listen. We have similar devices." He offered Ronon a smile. "I will return before the noon meal."

With any luck that would mean that come dinner, Sheppard and McKay would be there, and they would be another step closer to going home.


	3. Chapter 3

"It sounds too good to be true." Sheppard said, looking from Ronon to Lindsey and then back at the people moving around them. 

"And yet, here we are." Ronon responded. "Well over twenty four hours, and no sign of the Wraith."

Sheppard's eyes followed the movement of Ulvin before snapping back to Ronon. "So what do we know?"

"Not much." Ronon sat on one of the benches that lined the town square. "They've been kind to us, gave us shelter food. They don't talk much about how it works, don't answer questions directly."

"Any time we ask about it, they just tell us we can't leave." Lindsey added. "Ralla and her friend Kasha get nearly hysterical if we talk about leaving."

"They're runners too." Ronon said to the question in Sheppard's eyes." He glanced aside to where the two women were watching them. 

"Rodney?" Sheppard looked to McKay who hadn't looked up from his tablet since they were walked into the village by Ulvin and his brother.

"Hmmm?"

"Anything?"

"What? Oh…I…don't know." He looked up and around him as if seeing the village for the first time. "Oh."

"Rodney."

"It's fascinating, really."

"Rodney." Sheppard's voice was filled with irritation and McKay nodded.

"It's going to take me some time to sort it all out. It's brilliant though." He poked at his tablet again, then looked up and around them. "The barrier is about five miles in diameter. The power needs must be huge, but I'm not reading a single power source."

"Can you tell how it works?" Lindsey asked, crossing his arms.

"Not yet. I need some time, maybe a look at their controls."

"Good luck with that." Ronon shook his head. "I thought you were bringing Beckett."

Sheppard sighed and looked to Teyla who had been silent through the exchange. "We wanted to come first and make sure it was safe. He's working on a procedure that should take care of you two."

"Ain't just us." Lindsey said, his eyes lifting to Ralla again. "If his procedure works, he should help them too."

Sheppard nodded in agreement. "No reason why not." He inhaled and stood. "Teyla and I need to go check in with Elizabeth. We'll be back soon. Anything you need?"

Ronon shook his head. "I'm good. We'll be here."

"Rodney, keep working."

"What?" McKay looked up again, his face vaguely confused. "Right, yes. Of course." 

Ronon walked with them toward the barrier, Lindsey trailing behind. "We'll be back soon." Teyla said softly as Ronon stopped just inside the barrier line. 

"Yeah, I know." He nodded and raised a hand as they left the village. If Beckett couldn't figure out a way to get the damn devices out of them, he and Lindsey would be stuck here. He turned, his eyes scanning over the village, coming to land on Lindsey who was sort of smirking at him.

"Isn't so bad." Lindsey got closer, glancing around them. "As places to retire goes, it's pretty nice. No monsters coming out of the sky, no monsters coming out of the trees, no vampires, no demons, just friendly folk."

"I agree with Sheppard, it's too good to be true." Ronon countered, letting Lindsey pull him closer. 

Lindsey shrugged a little. "We're too young to retire anyway." His fingers danced along the waistband of Ronon's pants. "You're Dr. McKay is distracted…maybe we should find a distraction of our own."

Ronon licked his lips and leaned in, his voice low and dangerous. "The fucking I gave your ass this morning isn't enough?"

Lindsey's eyebrow lifted and his smirk made Ronon want to lick his mouth open. "I was just thinking it was time I returned the favor."

Ronon was more than tempted, but McKay probably shouldn't be left alone. "I should really introduce McKay to Ulvin."

Lindsey turned to look at McKay who was still nose deep in his tablet. "He can wait."

Ronon stole a quick kiss while Lindsey was distracted, pulling away. "The sooner he gets it figured out, the sooner we can get off this rock…and get back to our lives."

Of course, there was the small problem that Lindsey didn't actually have a life to get back to. The planet where he'd been living had been culled, and nearly destroyed. Sheppard had sent a team to check. If there were any survivors, they were all in hiding.

Ronon knew that he was being selfish. He wanted his life back. He wanted to go back to Atlantis. He wanted to matter in the fight against the Wraith. As long as he was forced into this life of running, or as it stood now, hiding, he was effectively ineffective.

He sighed and stopped beside McKay. "So?"

McKay looked up at him. "So…what?"

"You ready to meet Ulvin?"

"I suppose so. I need to study their systems."

Ronon gestured toward the building where Ulvin and his brother had offices. "Lets get this over with."

 

"I do not understand." Ulvin said, his confusion showing on his face. "You are safe here, there is no need to continue running."

"No, we just have to stay here for the rest of our lives?" Ronon said, anger beginning to grow out of his frustration. "Like I said, not my style."

"There is plenty of space here, we can help you build your own home."

"Maybe he already has a home." McKay said. "Look, your technology is pretty impressive from what I can tell, but ours is pretty impressive too. I just need a look at—"

"I have told you, that is not possible." Ulvin said. 

McKay shook his head. "If I didn't know better, I'd think you had no idea how it works."

"I'm afraid I really must ask you to let me get back to work. It is amazing how many things must be done to keep a village safe."

"You don't." Ronon looked at him, his eyes narrowing, suddenly starting to place what had felt so off since they got there. "You have no idea how it works."

"Me personally? No, I don't." Ulvin said. "I'm not a…a…I don't work with the controls."

"So there are controls." McKay stood, poking at his tablet. "I want to see them."

"You didn't create this technology." Ronon said, crossing his arms and staring down at Ulvin.

Ulvin stared back for a long moment, then seemed to sag. "I warned them I was not the one to lead them." He shook his head and sat. "The others are afraid that any attempt to understand the technology will cause it to fail."

"So…none of you understand it?"

"Leville has learned the most. He is the one who knows how to remove the tracker's signal from the gate's memory."

"The one who came with you and your brother to meet us at the gate." Ronon said.

"Yes, he was the first here."

"Then he's the one I need to talk to." McKay said.

"So all of this was already here when you showed up?" Ronon asked, frowning. "I don't remember seeing all of this."

"It was hidden. Leville stumbled across it. He came here to hunt for food, our home planet was dying and there was little food. He was injured. The people who lived here gave him shelter."

"And he learned from them." Ronon had a sinking feeling that the former inhabitants didn't just give the place to Leville. 

McKay seemed to perk up. "Are they still here?"

"They were very old. The last of them died just after I arrived through the gate."

"Convenient." Ronon said, standing himself now.

"What are you implying?"

"Nothing. Show McKay the controls."

"The others—"

"I wasn't asking."

"Where are you going?" McKay asked.

"I want to have a look around, see what else they aren't telling us."

He left McKay with Ulvin and headed toward the south end of the village. He and Lindsey had seen enough in their short time there to know that was the oldest part of the village. If there were answers to be found, they would likely be there.

 

"Where have you been?" Lindsey asked when Ronon opened the door to the room they were sharing.

Ronon pulled at the shirt he was wearing, dropping it to the floor. He was filthy and smelly from hours spent exploring an old building he'd found just barely inside the barrier.

"Sticking my nose in where it didn't belong." Ronon replied. "Sheppard and Teyla?"

"Not yet." Lindsey frowned at him. "Are we concerned about something?"

Ronon sighed and shook his head. "I'm not sure. McKay is looking at the technology, but something about Ulvin's story isn't sitting right." He pulled the amulet he'd found in the building and dropped it on Lindsey's bed.

"What's this?"

Ronon shrugged. "Not sure. Could be nothing."

"You didn't bring it back here because it was nothing."

"There's a legend…a race of people, pacifists. They refused to take a life or raise a hand to fight. The Wraith decimated them. They disappeared."

Lindsey picked up the carved black stone, his thumb rubbing over the symbol. "And this?"

"I could be wrong. But it looks like a symbol I saw once connected to them." 

"What does it mean?"

Ronon grabbed his clean shirt and shook his head again. "Maybe nothing. I'm going to get cleaned up. Then we should probably check on McKay."

He wasn't comfortable with the idea that the people who had lived here could have been the Hadassa. Or with the growing idea that Leville had killed them to take their technology. 

The Hadassa would have taken in anyone who was injured, even if it exposed them after years and years of hiding. They would have healed him and showed him courtesy.

Of course, he could be wrong. He let himself into the bathing chamber, grateful Ralla had seen him returning and offered to draw him a bath. The tub was full and steaming as he dropped his clean clothes on the table and pulled off his boots.

He sank into the water and dunked himself under, scrubbing at his face as he came up. His knowledge of the Hadassa was sketchy at best. They disappeared more than a hundred years before he was born. He'd been on their homeworld though, in his early days of running.

He hadn't cared then about anything beyond survival. He wondered now if there had been hints of this technology there, if their disappearance had been nothing more than an advance in technology that allowed them to hide.

Ronon reached for the soap and worked at washing off the grime, rinsed and then climbed out of the tub. He dressed quickly and headed back to the room, nearly running into Lindsey who held out his radio. "Sheppard."

"Where are you?"

"Headed down from the gate. We've got Beckett."

"We'll meet you in the square."

Together they jogged down the stairs, making the center of the village just as Sheppard and Becket did, a motorized mount with them, packed with boxes marked "MEDICAL". 

"What's all this?" Ronon asked with a gesture.

"The equipment I'll need to set up an operating room." Beckett answered. "Along with other equipment to monitor the effects of the surgery on the devices."

"Where's Teyla?"

Sheppard turned and looked over his shoulder, hitching his thumb. "She's bringing Dr. Keller."

"Dr. who?" Ronon asked, looking around Sheppard.

"I requested her help." Beckett answered. "In order to do this, we will have to remove both of the tracking devices in unison."

"But you can do it? Without killing us?" Lindsey asked, crossing his arms.

"Oh, aye. I believe so."

"You believe so?" Lindsey was frowning.

"He's the best chance we've got." Ronon said aside to Lindsey. "Hey, you have that amulet?"

Lindsey nodded and pulled it out of his pocket, handing it over.

"What's that?" Sheppard asked.

"Maybe nothing. I want to see what Teyla says first." 

Teyla came to a stop with a nod of the head and Ronon held the small carved stone up before flipping it to her. She caught it, turning it over in her hands, her face clouding up. "Where did you find this?"

"Snooping around. I don't think the people here are telling us the whole truth." Ronon watched her run a finger over the carved symbol. "Ulvin as much as admitted it. There were people living here, hidden."

"You don't believe…" Teyla trailed off, her eyes narrowing as she looked at Ronon. 

"Would one of you explain?" Sheppard asked, his voice tight with exasperation. 

"This symbol is very much like one used by a race of people long thought to be dead." Teyla offered, handing the amulet to Sheppard. "They were known as the Hadassa. They were non-violent, to the point of allowing themselves to be brutalized."

"What happened to them?" Sheppard handed the amulet back to Ronon.

"There are conflicting reports." Teyla said. "It is believed by most that the Wraith finally succeeded in eradicating them. But there are those who believe that they advanced beyond the ability of the Wraith to hurt them, and withdrew beyond the reach of physical violence."

"Is it just me or does that sound an awful lot like ascension?"

"It is possible." Teyla said. "Although they grew very skilled at camouflage and it is believed by many that the Hadassa still exist, living out their lives on some planet, completely hidden from those who would do them harm."

"You mean, like a whole village existing where there didn't used to be one…a village that Wraith can not detect?" Sheppard looked at Ronon. "Where's McKay?" He shook his head and reached for his radio. "Rodney, this is Sheppard. Come in."

"Oh, you're back. Where are you?"

"Village Square."

"I'm on my way."

Sheppard drew in a deep breath and nodded. "Okay. While we wait for him, we need a place where Carson and Dr. Keller can get set up."

"Lindsey." Ronon turned to him, but he was already nodding.

"I'll check with Ralla." He gestured to the two doctors who followed him away.

"The good news is, I think I understand their control system." Rodney said as he joined them. "The bad news is, it is completely dependent on the mineral content of the ground the village is built on." 

"Why is that bad news?" Sheppard asked, frowning at McKay.

"Well, we can't adapt it to use anywhere else."

"You weren't supposed to be stealing the tech, Rodney, just attempting to understand it and how it's affecting the implants."

"Oh, that. Right. As near as I can tell with an afternoon of looking at it is that it suppresses the signal the devices give off…It doesn't actually turn them off, just keeps them from broadcasting."

"Ralla said that the doctor here tried to remove hers and it nearly killed her partner." Ronon offered, turning to watch as Leville and Ulvin emerged from the building across the square, clearly arguing. 

"Like I said, they aren't turned off, so their self preservation programming is still intact."

"Excuse me." Ronon headed across the square, just as Leville punched Ulvin hard. Ulvin stumbled backward, staring at Leville with a look of horror on his face. Leville turned to stalk away, but Ronon intercepted him. "Going somewhere?"

"He…he…" Ulvin held a hand to his face where he'd been hit. 

"Let me guess, he was upset that you let McKay play with his toys and didn't like your questions?"

"Unhand me." Leville tried to pull away, but Ronon held him.

"Ronon?"

"Sheppard, this is Ulvin. He's the leader of these people. This here is Leville. He's a liar."

"I have lied to no one. Ulvin is the leader only because his father was leader before he died."

"And you think it should be you?" Sheppard asked.

"If I'm right, Leville here stumbled across a hidden settlement of Hadassa here on this planet, and after they healed him and took care of him, he repaid them by killing them and bringing his people back here, hoping he would look like a hero and they would make him their leader."

"That's quite an accusation." Sheppard said. "Are you sure?"

Ronon shrugged. He didn't have proof, but judging by Leville's face, he wasn't far off. 

"When he returned, he told us of a wonderful place where the Wraith would never again find us. He told us the people all lived into their age and died peacefully. Only one remained, an old man who was willing to teach us how to stay safe." Ulvin drew himself up and seemed to shake off his fear. "I must convene our council. We must decide what to do with him."

"In the meantime, I suggest locking him up." Sheppard glanced up at Ronon. 

"Yes, of course." Ulvin gestured to his brother. "Take Leville—"

Leville shoved Ronon, yanking free and pushing past Sheppard at a dead run. Ronon started after him, but he was out of the village and through the barrier, headed for the gate. Sheppard and Teyla took off after him, but he had enough of a head start that Ronon wasn't surprised when they came back empty handed.

"Did you see where he went?"

"I saw several of the symbols, but not all of them." Teyla said. 

Ronon shook his head. "Sorry, Ulvin."

"We are ill suited to dealing with such deeds." Ulvin said. "Perhaps it is for the best."

"The Hadassa themselves would have only exiled him." Teyla offered. "They believed in peace above all things. It is said that when the Wraith would find them, they would emerge from their homes and stand in the streets, awaiting them. They would offer no resistance."

"Sounds suicidal." Sheppard countered, patting his gun. "Resistance is good."

Lindsey appeared at the door of the rooming house, waving at Ronon. "I think I'm needed."

He jogged across the square, aware of the others tailing behind him. "Your doctors are nearly set up in there." Lindsey said as Ronon came to a stop.

"Good."

"You sure about this?" Lindsey asked, glancing over his shoulder.

"Way I see it we have two choices, we try to get these things out of us or we stay here for the rest of our lives." Ronon responded. 

"I know. I just…I don't really trust doctors."

Ronon raised an eyebrow. "The evil hand?"

Lindsey rolled his eyes. "I am never getting drunk with you again."

"Come on. Let's get free of these things and then I will show you drunk." Ronon leaned in close, lowering his voice. "And then fuck you. Repeatedly."

 

Ronon woke back on Atlantis, in a bed in the infirmary. He blinked, turning to find Lindsey in the bed beside him, arms crossed, looking pissed. 

"What?" Ronon asked.

Lindsey gestured at the room as if that meant something. "I see your friends found a way to get me here."

Ronon chuckled. "My friends saved us from having to keep running."

Lindsey's hand snaked up to the bandages on the back of his neck. "I'll give them that much. I don't like that I was brought here without being asked."

"You were quite unconscious at the time." Carson said as he approached. "I apologize, it was my call, seeing as I was the one who had my hands inside you."

"What happened?" Ronon asked, sitting up.

"Nasty little buggers, those trackers. We managed to disrupt the communication between them, but as we were removing them they released a toxin into your bodies. We nearly lost you both." He moved to Lindsey's bed and checked the monitors. "I didn't have the equipment there to deal with it, so we had to come back here. Not to worry though, you're both responding well to treatment."

"How long?" Lindsey asked.

"Another day or two before I release you from the infirmary I should think. And probably a few days of check ups just to make sure."

"And then what?"

Carson looked up from his tablet and shrugged a little. "I suppose that's up to you."

"You're not going to try to keep me here?"

"That decision isn't up to me." Carson said, patting Lindsey's ankle as he moved to check Ronon's vitals. "But I don't see why we would. You're a free man."

After he'd moved away, Ronon looked at Lindsey. "Where are you going to go?"

Lindsey sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. "Figured I'd go back…see if there's anything left."

Ronon understood that desire. He also remembered what going home was like. "Sheppard said the place was totaled, nothing left."

"I know what Sheppard said." Lindsey snapped. "Maybe I need to see it for myself."

"Okay. I get that." Ronon laid back and tried to understand how Lindsey had to be feeling. It wasn't just being in Atlantis, that was just the final straw. It wasn't like Ronon needed him to stay. This wasn't _that_ kind of relationship. Hell, Ronon still wasn't sure exactly _what_ kind of relationship it was. 

 

"You're dropping your right shoulder." Ronon said casually, leaning against the doorframe of the gym.

"Fuck you." Lindsey responded, walking away from the Lieutenant he was sparring with to pick up his towel and wipe his face.

Ronon nodded to the man and gestured for him to leave.

"I could still take you." Lindsey dropped his towel and moved back into the center of the space.

"You think so?" Ronon pulled his shirt off and stretched out his shoulders.

"I know a few things." Lindsey charged at him and Ronon blocked his first blow easily enough, but Lindsey surprised him with a follow up that caught him in the chest and forced him to step back.

"Didn't think you'd be back."

Lindsey pushed his hair back behind his ears and gestured at Ronon to come at him. Ronon obliged, lifting his hands up defensively.

"You were right. There wasn't anything left."

He circled to the left, watching for an opening. Lindsey was already sweaty and starting to breathe hard as Ronon faked with a left and hit him in the shoulder with his right. Lindsey spun around, sweeping with a leg and dropping Ronon to the matt, landing on top of him. Ronon grabbed his hips and rolled them, pinning Lindsey down and stealing a hard kiss before he was up and moving away. Lindsey scrambled after him, fists up and swinging.

"Surprised you came back." Ronon spun away from a blow, landing one of his own on Lindsey's jaw.

"I can leave again." Lindsey offered, his grin bloody.

"Didn't say that." Ronon dodged another blow, but missed Lindsey's counter as he ducked under and landed two fists rapidly into Ronon's stomach. Ronon moved away as Lindsey laughed. 

"Maybe you should stop talking and fight." Lindsey said, moving in again.

Ronon landed a blow to the opposite side of Lindsey's face, higher up, along the cheekbone and Lindsey stumbled backward. Ronon pressed forward, landing one in his stomach and knocking him backward. 

Lindsey went down hard, landing on his back. Ronon followed, straddling over him, grabbing his wrists to keep him in place. "Maybe I'd rather fuck." Ronon growled down at him as he struggled. 

"I ever tell you that you talk too much?" Lindsey growled back, tilting his hips so that Ronon could feel how hard he was, his cock pressing along Ronon's ass.

"I can fix that." Ronon pressed Lindsey's hands out to the side and leaned in, nipping at his lips until Lindsey surged up, his mouth covering Ronon's, his tongue filling Ronon's mouth.

Lindsey held the kiss as he sat up, pushing Ronon over so that he was on his back, Lindsey's hands working Ronon's pants open. Ronon lifted his ass once Lindsey got them open, giving Lindsey room to tug them down. 

Ronon winced when Lindsey shoved a finger into him with no lube to speak of. "You could at least have spit on it."

Lindsey rolled his eyes and pushed Ronon's leg up, rolling him back. He pulled his finger out and spit directly on Ronon's hole before shoving his finger in. "Better?"

"Lube would be better." 

Lindsey huffed and pulled his finger back, stretching behind him for his bag. Ronon took the opportunity to free himself completely of his pants, laying back just as Lindsey dumped lube from a small tube onto his fingers. "No more whining."

"Then hurry the fuck up." Ronon responded with a grin.

Lindsey swatted his hip as he smeared lube down his cock, then brought his lubed up fingers to Ronon's ass. He pushed two fingers in without warning, working Ronon open quickly before taking his hand away and shoving his cock in. He'd done barely enough prep and Ronon grit his teeth as Lindsey pushed in, panting as he eased back out before a second assault.

He growled through clenched teeth as Lindsey pulled out again and shoved in for a third time, finally settling in as deep as he could. They paused a moment, both of them breathing hard in the heated room of the gym.

Lindsey eased out slow, like they had all day before shoving in just as hard as the first three times. Ronon tightened around him, his hands lifting to slide his fingers through Lindsey's hair and pull him in to nip at his lips.

Ronon caught his lower lip between his teeth and bit down hard enough to draw blood. Lindsey answered with a rolling thrust of his hips, nailing Ronon's prostate hard enough that he gasped, letting go of Lindsey.

Lindsey's lube slick hand circled Ronon's cock, pulling up it hard and tight. He eased out slowly again, his hand sliding back down. He pulled up again as he shoved in and Ronon grunted.

"Not that I don't appreciate the whole tease thing you've got working…"Ronon said, tilting his hips and pressing in to meet Lindsey's downward stroke.

"But?"

"Well…that door don't lock." Ronon locked his legs around Lindsey's waist and flipped them, ending up straddling him, Lindsey's cock inside him. He rose up and sank down faster, one hand splayed out on Lindsey's stomach.

Lindsey's hand worked his cock, faster and faster to match Ronon's increasing rhythm. Ronon squeezed around him and hissed as his own orgasm started before Lindsey's…but Lindsey wasn't far behind, his come flooding inside Ronon as Ronon's spilled onto his stomach.

Ronon rolled off, laughing as he grabbed Lindsey's towel, wiping his ass before throwing it at Lindsey. "You're just lucky no one else came looking for a little exercise."

"You're just lucky I cared." Lindsey countered, tucking himself in and kicking Ronon's pants toward him. 

Ronon picked his pants up and shoved his feet into them, pulling them up and lacing them before reaching for his discarded shirt. "Well, maybe if you hung around a while I'd give you another chance."

Lindsey's eyebrow lifted. "Be careful what you promise me. I'll hold you to it."

"If you think you can." Ronon grinned as Lindsey shoved the dirty towel in his bag and he shouldered it.

"I'm betting with all these boy scouts around I can find a hunk of rope." Lindsey said as they headed for the door.

"Like I'm gonna let you tie me up."

"Gotta sleep sometime."

"Like I'm gonna let you in my room."

"You ever want to fuck my ass again?" 

They left the gym, and Ronon smirked as they passed two airmen headed that way. "I'm hungry."

"I could eat." Lindsey agreed.

It was oddly comfortable, having him there. In the mess they happened across Teyla and McKay and sat to eat, the banter familiar and warm.

Sheppard joined them after a while and Lindsey leaned in to whisper that he was headed back to take a shower. Teyla left at the same time, and McKay was called away shortly after, leaving Ronon with Sheppard.

"So." Sheppard said after a long silence.

"So?" Ronon repeated back.

"You and Lindsey?"

Ronon frowned. "What?"

Sheppard chuckled. "I'm not blind, Ronon. Good for you. I mean, if it makes you happy."

He was fairly certain that they'd been pretty discrete. "Did Teyla…"

Sheppard shook his head. "I saw you." Sheppard looked him in the eye. "In the gym? I mean, really, at least lock the door first."

Ronon chuckled. "You saw that?"

"I heard you'd gone down to spar, I was going to ask you for some pointers before I spar with Teyla tomorrow." Ronon finished his coffee and set his mug down. "Do I need to worry?"

"About Lindsey?" Ronon inhaled and let it out slowly. Truth was he still didn't know all that much about the guy, aside from the wild stories he told when he was drunk. "I think he's a good guy. I mean…as much as the next guy."

Sheppard nodded. "Elizabeth hasn't decided if he can stay…or if we should let him leave again. She's going to want to talk to him."

Ronon nodded. He'd expected that. "I know."

"Okay. Good talk." He stood, picking up his tray to take to the kitchen for cleaning. "Any pointers on that Teyla thing?"

Ronon smiled. "Don't let her hit you."

"Right. Smart ass."

Ronon watched him go. He didn't know how Lindsey would react to Weir wanting to interview him. Hell, he didn't know how Lindsey would react to Ronon actually asking him to stay. But everyone had to eventually get tired of running…and Lindsey had been running long before he met Ronon.

 

Prologue

Lindsey stood at the railing as the sun set on the distant horizon, letting the cool sea breeze cool his skin after his shower. The towel around his waist ruffled in the breeze, but stayed as he leaned out to breathe deep of clean air the likes of which he'd never know back home.

A part of him knew that this was just another stop, just a place to catch his breath, but a part of him wanted it to be something more.

He closed his eyes, turning his face instinctively to the warm rays of the sun in the distance as it sank slowly into the ocean.

He felt so much older than his years, no doubt aided by the time differences in the various hell dimensions he'd crawled through to get out. The face in the mirror hadn't changed, the hair had grown, his eyes were darker, there were a few more scars…his hand snaked up to the latest, the thin incision where Dr. Beckett had cut the Wraith tracker out of him.

He could never let the military people here know who he really was, but Ronon didn't seem inclined to betray his trust, and as long as they believed he was just another lost soul from the Pegasus galaxy maybe he'd be okay.

Behind him he could hear the door open, and heavy footsteps told him it was Ronon. The big guy slipped out onto the balcony and covered Lindsey like a blanket of comfort, his lips nuzzling into the crook of Lindsey's neck.

"Hey."

Lindsey leaned back into the familiar warmth Ronon offered, no catches, nothing to bind him…just an open acceptance of who Lindsey is…no questions asked. It's something he hasn't had in a long time.

Lindsey lets Ronon's arms slip around his waist, drawing him back slowly…into the room, to his bed…maybe it's just another stop…but for the moment it seems safe enough…and Ronon's lips are warm and inviting.

He lets go of the fear and surrenders to the heat, the ease, the comfort of Ronon's bed, his arms…and maybe a small part of him wonders if he could have a life here…on Atlantis.


End file.
